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Middlesbrough would move to the top of the Championship table if they beat Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Friday night.
Boro occupy third place heading into this round of fixtures, just one point behind second-placed West Ham United and leaders Swansea City.
Meanwhile, Bolton are in midtable in 15th, and are hoping to build on a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Southampton last time out.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Bolton Wanderers vs. Middlesbrough key stats
- Bolton have lost three of their last four home games (W1).
- Middlesbrough are unbeaten in nine league matches (W5, D4).
- Middlesbrough have won the previous 10 head-to-heads in all competitions.
Bolton Wanderers vs. Middlesbrough preview: Boro to bounce up to top?
Bolton vs Middlesbrough — Tale of the Tape
| Bolton | vs | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| 15th | Position | 3rd |
| 14 | Points | 22 |
| 15 | Goals For | 22 |
| 18 | Goals Against | 16 |
| 3 | Clean Sheets | 2 |
| 19th (H) | Home / Away Rank | 9th (A) |
Bolton won promotion to the Championship this season after a seven-year absence.
Steven Schumacher could not have asked for a much better return, as his side sit comfortably above the relegation zone, and even have an eye on the play-off spots above them.
Home form will be a concern for the Wanderers though, especially while facing one of the league's best sides.
Bolton appear to have no fresh injury concerns, with Chris Forino expected to be ruled out until early November.
David Strelec, Rokas Pukstas and Alfie Jones remain out for Middlesbrough too, but they still boast a strong squad capable of competing.
On a long unbeaten league run, Boro have the chance to top the table heading into the weekend, and cement themselves as one of the promotion favourites.
Kim Hellberg will have all eyes on the Premier League, but his team must continue to collect points in an unforgiving division.
Still, the visitors will be favourites to emerge victorious up north.
Bolton Wanderers vs. Middlesbrough form guide & betting tips
| Bolton | vs | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
WWLWD |
Form | DDWWD |
| 10 | Points | 9 |
| 7th | Form Table | 8th |
| 9 | Goals For | 10 |
| 6 | Goals Against | 8 |
WWLWD |
Form (All Comps) | DDWWD |
Whispers predicts: Bolton Wanderers 1-3 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough are 13/20 (1.65) favourites, but while we agree with the bookies, we want to explore other bets.
Given Boro have kept just two league clean sheets this season, BTTS – Yes at 4/7 (1.57) is our first pick, while Over 3.5 goals at 13/10 (2.30) could also come through, given their last five games have averaged 3.6 goals per match.
In terms of potential goalscorers, Will Lankshear netted in Boro's 2-2 draw at home to Cardiff City last time out for the third time in three appearances, so Lankshear to score anytime at 19/20 (1.95) is our final pick.
Overall, we are predicting a 3-1 Middlesbrough victory, which is available at 11/1 (12.00).
> BTTS – Yes at 1.57 | Likelihood: High
> Lankshear to score anytime at 1.95 | Likelihood: High
> Over 3.5 goals at 2.30 | Likelihood: Medium